The fourth annual Fifteen Percent Pledge gala has raised $3 million for Black-owned businesses amid a growing trend of companies scaling back their DEI efforts.
On Saturday, 1st February, the Los Angeles-based event was filled with A-list celebrities like Ciara, Kim Kardashian, Kelly Rowland, Teyana Taylor, Jesse Williams, and Keke Palmer. All proceeds from the activation ticket sales go to businesses affected by the recent LA wildfires.
“We are nobody’s DEI hire,” said the founder, Aurora James, according to WWD. “This country, in its best form, is a product of each of our beautiful and individual contributions. Never, ever, ever let another person tell you otherwise. We belong, you belong, all of our children belong here.”
What is The Fifteen Percent Pledge?
Founded in 2020, The Fifteen Percent Pledge is a nonprofit advocacy organization created for racial equity and economic justice. It works with retailers and corporations to commit 15% of their annual spend to Black-owned businesses.
It works with companies to examine their funding, working methods, and organizational structure to help create transformative change and better equity for Black-businesses. Since its launch, it has worked with 29 retailers and has provided opportunities for more than 800 brands.
“We’ve created the potential to shift $17 billion in revenue to Black-owned businesses,” chairwoman Emma Grede said, highlighting that the organization is expanding despite broader attacks on DEI in the country.
What was donated through the night?
The first grant of the evening was The Atladena Honoree Grant. Ciara presented the $50,000 donation to Barabra Shay, the owner of Little Red Hen Coffee Shop, which was destroyed in the LA fires, according to WWD.
Sephora president and chief executive officer Artemis Patrick presented the second grant of $100,000. Hannah Diop and Issa Rae, cofounders of the hair care brand Sienna Naturals, were awarded the 2025 Sephora beauty grant.
The last pledge of $200,000 was granted to three businesses, including fine jeweler Bernard James, specialty tea company Brooklyn Tea, and period products brand RedDrop, which also works to normalize puberty education.
Image credit: Marc Patrick/ BFA.com
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